About Low Gain

I’m just a teenager, living in Southern Illinois, that loves music in general. I love attending festivals as it feels like everyone comes together as a giant family. I also look forward to hearing new music and passing it onto the masses. In my free time I play guitar, basketball, and attend high school.

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Suicide Silence.

On Friday, July 16th, deathcore legends Suicide Silence will be taking the stage at Chicago Open Air for their third Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They previously played Aftershock last October along with several other acts that day like Korn, Puscifer, Whitechapel, and more. They also just recently played Rock on the Range with Metallica, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Amon Amarth. The band formed in 2002 in Riverside, California in 2002 and released their first full length album in 2007 titled ‘The Cleansing’. The record sold extremely well for a debut and showed that the band would be very successful in the future. “Unanswered” and “No Pity For A Coward” grew to be fan favorites. ‘No Time To Bleed’ followed this record in 2009. Songs like “Wake Up” and “Disengage” have become staples in Suicide Silence‘s live sets. In 2011, the band released their final record, ‘The Black Crown’, on Century Media and also their final record with frontman Mitch Lucker. Lucker passed away in 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. It was announced a year later that the band would continue with a new vocalist. Continue reading →

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Vimic.

On Friday, July 14th, alternative metal band Vimic will be bringing their heavy sound at Chicago Open Air. This will be the band’s first time playing a Danny Wimmer Presents event and it is one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend. Vimic formed just last year when Joey Jordison replaced Scar the Martyr lead singer Henry Derek (Act of Defiance, Thrown Into Exile) with Kalen Chase. Kalen Chase has actually toured with Korn (also on COA) in the past as a backup vocalist. The rest of the lineup remained the same as Scar The Martyr until guitarist Kris Norris left the band. He was then replaced by Steve Marshall. They’ve only released three songs thus far, but each song continues to show more and more potential for how great the debut record will be. Check out all three songs below. Continue reading →

Just this past Friday, the New York trio of Mutoid Man released their second full length record ‘War Moans’ to shred the faces off of the public. The record was released via Sargent House. It was mixed by Kurt Ballou of Converge and mastered by Brad Boatright. This band has been on my radar since releasing their masterful debut EP in 2013 titled ‘Helium Head’. The technicality, tenaciousness, and epic riffage of Mutoid Man immediately caught my attention. The constant onslaught of mind-boggling song compositions still stand out as much as the first time I heard them. The band continued to grow to be one of my favorite rock bands with their follow up (also their first full length record), ‘Bleeder’. Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) and Ben Koller (Converge) manage to combine their other band’s sounds along with Nick Cageao’s killer bass tone to create something unlike anything else you will here anywhere else. If you haven’t heard about this band, you will soon. You can stream the album below and then buy it here after having your face melted off. Continue reading →

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Kyng.

On Sunday, July 16th, three-piece rock band Kyng will be bringing their heavy sound to the masses all the way from California when they take the stage at Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. The band formed in 2008 and released their first full length record in 2011 titled ‘Trampling Sun’. Following that record, the band was signed to Razor & Tie and has since dropped two albums on the label. ‘Burn the Serum’ was released in 2014 and put the band on the map thanks to some airplay of hits like “Burn the Serum” and “Electric Halo” on Sirius XM Octane and Liquid Metal. Judging by their sound, Kyng is largely influenced by the old school heavy metal and rock bands and will carry the torch of metal for years to come. Continue reading →

After about 14 years, JIBE has finally returned to the scene to release their fourth full length record, ‘Epic Tales of Human Nature’. The band originally formed in the mid 90s and became legendary in the music scene of Dallas, Texas. Their unique alternative rock sound came from influences such as U2, Pearl Jam, and Jane’s Addiction. They had success on the radio in the southern US with hits like “I’ll Meet You Halfway” and “Yesterday’s Gone”. The band toured nearly nonstop throughout their career, hitting the road with artists like Kings of Leon, Marilyn Manson, and Jerry Cantrell. JIBE broke up in 2004 shortly after their third record ‘Uprising’ (2003). The band reunited for their first show back in September 2015 and began work on this new record the following year. ‘Epic Tales of Human Nature’ was recorded at Orb Studios in Austin, Texas and produced by Matt Noveskey. The album drops in two weeks on June 9th. Pre-order the record here. Continue reading →

*Every Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

This week’s artist is Code Orange.

One of the heaviest upcoming bands in the genre is coming to destroy the Chicago Open Air stage on Friday, July 14th at Toyota Park. If you are a fan of heavy music, you have probably already taken note of this band by now. Code Orange from Pittsburgh, PA stormed onto the scene with an incredible hardcore release in 2014 titled ‘I Am King’. This record was brutal, passionate, dark, and made a statement that the band had arrived. As a younger metalhead, this was one of the first records I listened to that got me into the extreme side of hardcore and metal. To kick off this year, the band dropped their third LP titled ‘Forever’, which was also well received by the metal community (check out out review here.) Their live shows bring some of the most violent pits around in recent years. It will be interesting to see how they transit their performance over to the festival stage. The band has played a few other Danny Wimmer Presents festivals including Rock on the Range and Carolina Rebellion. Most of their tour dates below are supporting System of a Down in Europe, including many of the large festivals. Continue reading →

Unlike any other band in recent memory, Fire From The Gods have springboarded onto the music scene with recognition all around the metal community. The quintet’s combination of rap, hardcore, and metalcore brews a familiar but original sound. From Austin, TX, the band has set out to bring a bigger, more important message to metal that they feel has been lacking. Lead vocalist AJ Channer had this to say about the upcoming record:

“This album is the personal narrative of a minority man living in major cities and being American, there’s a socio-economic theme throughout the whole record that carries from each song to song. It’s all about the underdog. We’ve all had to fight for everything we have in this band. The political climate in our country is quite racially and socially charged. There are a lot of issues and energy people are expressing along with misguided hate and anger. I want to channel this in music that can resonate. This is where we come from and who we are as a band.”

‘Narrative Retold’ is Fire From The God’s second record and their debut on major label Rise Records. The album drops this Friday on May 19th; you can pre-order the record here. They are already building a well-established fan base touring across the country while making stops at large festivals like Carolina Rebellion and Rock on the Range. Continue reading →

*Every Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

This week’s artist is Norma Jean.

On Sunday, July 16th, pioneer metalcore titans Norma Jean join a stacked lineup at Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park. Norma Jean is known for their melodic, heavy sound that is perfect for driving a crowd into a frenzy. The band formed all the way back in 1997 in Georgia and there are no original members left. Former vocalist Josh Scogin left the band in 2002 right after the first full length album ‘Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child’ featuring tracks like “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste” and “Creating Something Out of Nothing, Only to Destroy It.” Scogin went on to form acts like The Chariot and ’68. Current vocalist Cory Brandan Putman joined in 2004 and has been in the band for the longest period. Continue reading →

*Every Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

This week’s artist is Cane Hill.

On Saturday, July 15th, alternative metal band Cane Hill will be bringing their contagiously heavy sound to Chicago Open Air in Toyota Park. It all began back in New Orleans in 2011. Cane Hill’s name is actually taken from the name of a deserted mental asylum in the UK. The band really broke through from their very start with their refreshing take on a mix of nu metal and hardcore. Despite only having one album out, Cane Hill has already showed a tremendous amount of diversity in their sound. They cover all aspects of the two genres being very reminiscent of acts like Slipknot, Korn, and Marilyn Manson. They released their first single in 2014 “Sunday School” (check it out below) and were signed to Rise Records in the same day. Continue reading →

In less than two weeks, Samsara Blue Experiment‘s fourth full length album officially releases. The trio formed in Germany in 2007 and is well praised in the stoner/doom/psychedelic rock community. ‘One With The Universe’ will be released via Electric Magic Records, the band’s second album on the label. The artwork you see above was created by French artist Michel Bassot. Samsara Blues Experiment lives up to their name by experimenting a little bit more with synthesizers than they have on past records. They still manage to maintain the focus of putting forth heavy material while also adding in new elements to open more doors for the band. Although it doesn’t drop physically until May 12th, you can already stream the album online. The band worked with largely popular YouTube channel Stoned Meadow of Doom and you can actually listen to it below right now. If you like what you hear be sure to support the artists by pre-ordering the record here. Continue reading →